10 things to take away from the 2026 Australian Open

 

                                             (Credit: Getty Images) 

With the 2026 Australian Open now in the rear view mirror, it is time for me to write my 10 things to take away from the two weeks that were Down Under. Ok, let's dive in! 

#1. Carlos Alcaraz proved he can win the career grand slam: Carlos Alcaraz defeated Novak Djokovic in the men's singles final 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 to win his seventh grand slam title and first Australian Open title. As a result, Alcaraz has now won a career grand slam. Pretty impressive given he's 22 years old (turning 23 in May). Winning a career grand slam is an important box to check off if you want to enter the conversation for being one of the all-time greats. While we all knew it was just a matter of time before Alcaraz checked off this box, doing it now takes some pressure off of him. It'll be interesting to see how many Australian Open titles he wins in the future. 

#2. Elena Rybakina wins a second grand slam: Elena Rybakina defeated Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in the women's singles final. It's the second grand slam title of Rybakina's career after winning Wimbledon in 2022. Being a multi-grand slam champion is far different than winning one. It shows consistency. Especially when you do it on multiple surfaces. At just 26 years of age, Rybakina is halfway to a career grand slam. The furthest she's gone at the French Open is the quarterfinals and the furthest she's gone at the US Open is the 4th round. While it's far from a guarantee that she'll win a career slam, being halfway there is a lot better than 25% of the way there. 

#3. Novak Djokovic can still play at an elite level: At 38 years of age, the fact that Novak Djokovic is still able to reach grand slam finals is amazing. The Australian Open is his best event, which he has won 10 times. He defeated Jannik Sinner in the semifinals  3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. That shows he's still able to play at an elite grand slam level. The question is how much longer does Djokovic want to do this? I'm sure he wants to win 25 grand slams just to surpass Margaret Court's mark, but given she played in a vastly different era and took advantage of not everybody coming out to play the Australian Open, he shouldn't beat himself over the head if he doesn't surpass her mark. 

#4. Aryna Sabalenka shows she is beatable on the hard court: While she is widely considered the top hard court player in the world, Aryna Sabalenka losing in the final shows that she can be beaten on the hard courts. She also is still in search of that career slam with the French Open and Wimbledon still on her list to win. Sabalenka had a fantastic tournament overall, but until she figures out how to win grand slams on the grass and clay, she needs to win as many hard court slams as possible. It'll be interesting to see if she can have a break through on grass or clay this year and whether or not she's able to get back on top at the US Open.  

#5. Alexander Zverev just can't quite break through: Alexander Zverev fell to Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals in a five set thriller: 4-6, 6-7, 7-6, 7-6, 5-7.  Despite being a reliably top five player in the world, Zverev still is yet to crack the code to winning a grand slam. He's becoming a more successful Tim Henman/David Ferrer. A guy that gets close, but doesn't quite get over the hump. This year's Australian Open unfortunately reinforced that narrative in a painful way. 

#6. Jessica Pegula is knocking on the door: At 32 years of age, Jessica Pegula reached the semifinals before losing to Rybakina in straight sets  3-6, 6-7. It's the furthest she's gone at the Australian Open and only the US Open has she reached the final (2024). Ranked No. 5 in the world, maybe this will be the year Pegula finally wins her first grand slam. This year's Australian Open could be the springboard she needs to make that happen. 

#7. Alexander Bublik built on his Hong Kong title: After winning the title at the Hong Kong Open, world No. 10 Alexander Bublik reached the 4th round, where he lost to No. 6 Alex de Minaur in straight sets 4-6, 1-6, 1-6. It was the best performance Bublik has had at the Australian Open and ties for the best performance he's had at a grand slam (2023 Wimbledon & 2025 US Open). The big question with Bublik is can he breakthrough to reach the quarterfinals at a grand slam? So far, that answer has been no, but it was still overall a good tournament for him. 

#8. Elina Svitolina gets back to a grand slam semifinal: For the first time since 2023 Wimbledon, Elina Svitolina reached the semifinals of a grand slam, losing to Sabalenka in straight sets 2-6, 3-6. It was a great tournament for her as she cracked the top ten in the world as a result. She's now ranked No. 9. While it feels unlikely she'll ever win a grand slam, maybe this is the year she'll break through. Having a strong result at the Australian Open is always a great way to start the year. 

#9.  Jannik Sinner showed he can be beaten: Ranked No. 2 in the world, losing to Novak Djokovic showed that Jannik Sinner can be beaten by someone other than Alcaraz and that should give the rest of the tour some hope. At the same time, he lost to a man who is arguably the greatest of all-time. Still, Sinner not reaching the final was a reminder that he is human. Especially since the hard court is his best surface. 

#10. Naomi Osaka still has work to do: Ranked No. 16 in the world, Naomi Osaka is working her way back to being a top player. She lost in the 3rd round via walkover after winning her first two matches. At 28 years of age, there's still plenty of time for Osaka to get back in the mix to contend for more grand slams, but at the same time, this year's Australian Open was a reminder that she still has a lot more work to do. It'll be interesting to see how the rest of the season goes for her. 

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10 things to look for at the 2026 Australian Open

                                              (Credit: Mike Frey/Imagn Images) 

With the 2026 Australian Open already underway, I need to get my 10 things to look for posted ASAP. If you want to check out the draws, click here. Ok, let's get after it! 

#1. Can Jannik Sinner complete the three-peat? World No. 2 Jannik Sinner is gunning for a three-peat Down Under, having won the Australian Open in 2024 and 2025. He's certainly the heavy favorite to go all the way, but winning any grand slam three years in a row is no easy task. The record for most consecutive Australian Open titles during the Open Era is three by Novak Djokovic. Djokovic did it twice from 2011-13 and 2019-21. Sinner would be joining rarefied air if he were to complete a three-peat this year. A lot of it may end up coming down to how well world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz does (more on him later). 

 #2. Can Madison Keys defend her title? Madison Keys is the defending champion on the women's side, defeating Aryna Sabalenka in the final 6-3, 2-6, 7-5. It's the only grand slam title Keys has ever won. She comes in ranked No. 9 in the world and obviously a contender. It'll be fun to see if she can defend her title and how far she goes. She had a first round exit at the US Open last year, so these first few rounds will be key for her to regain some confidence. She's already through the first round in straight sets, so she's off to a good start. 

#3. Can Carlos Alcaraz complete the career slam? The furthest world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz has gone in the Australian Open is the quarterfinals in 2024 and 2025. It's the only grand slam he is yet to win. At some point, I think he's going to break through Down Under and go all the way. The question is when will that breakthrough happen? For whatever reason, he hasn't been able to get past the quarterfinals. It's really important for him to win with confidence during the first few rounds and enter the second week of the tournament with as much momentum as possible. 

#4. Can Aryna Sabalenka win her third Australian Open title? Aryna Sabalenka is ranked No. 1 in the world and is gunning for her third Australian Open title after losing in the final to Madison Keys last year. Sabalenka is likely the favorite the go all the way. She's already won the title twice in 2023 and 2024 and reached the final last year. If she's able to win her third Aussie Open title this year, that would truly be a fantastic way for her to start the season and remind everyone who is number one. 

 #5. Can Alexander Bublik keep the momentum going from Hong Kong? World No. 10 Alexander Bublik is coming off a strong performance in Hong Kong, winning the title at the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open. He's never gotten past the 2nd round at the Australian Open, so if he can win two matches that in and of itself will be progress. I look forward to seeing how he does. If he does make a run, I think we'll be able to look back at his title in Hong Kong as the catalyst. 

#6. Can Iga Swiatek complete the career slam? While Carlos Alcaraz is gunning for a career slam on the men's side, Iga Swiatek is doing the same on the women's side. The furthest she's gone at the Australian Open is the semifinals in 2022 and 2025, so she's gone further than Alcaraz has. I feel like at some point, she's going to win an Australian Open title and complete the career slam. Will this be the year it happens? 

#7. Can Novak Djokovic still contend? At 38 years of age, Novak Djokovic is ranked No. 4 in the world, so on paper, he should be a serious contender to win it all. Especially since he has won the Australian Open a record 10 times. This is by far and away his best event. After winning it all in 2023, he reached the semifinals in 2024 and 2025. If Djokovic could get one more grand slam to get to No. 24, that would be pretty cool. If it's going to happen anywhere, the Australian Open would be the most fitting place for it to happen. 

#8. Can Naomi Osaka make a run? Ranked No. 17 in the world, Naomi Osaka is climbing her way back up the rankings. She won the Australian Open twice in 2019 and 2021, so she knows what it takes to win this event. It's just been a little while. If there's any dark horse on the women's side that could legitimately go the distance, it's Osaka. She reached the 3rd round at the Australian Open last year and reached the semifinals of the US Open. So she should be coming in with some momentum and confidence. 

#9.  Can Alexander Zverev break through to win his first grand slam? Alexander Zverev comes in ranked No. 3 in the world, reaching the Australian Open final last year. Given that Alcaraz hasn't reached the semifinals Down Under yet and Sinner's attempt to win three titles in a row is no easy task, there's an opportunity for Zverev here. He just has to make the most of his opportunities and hope that he gets a bit of luck in the draw.

#10. Can Coco Gauff break through to win her first Aussie Open? World No. 3 Coco Gauff is looking to win her first Australian Open title with US Open (2023) and French Open (2025) titles already under her belt. I feel like her time is coming Down Under. Especially after she reached the semifinals last year. If there's anyone that can most threaten to beat Sabalenka, on paper it's probably Gauff. 

Prediction: On the men's side, I gotta roll with Jannik Sinner. He's gunning for a third straight Australian Open title, knowing well what it takes to go the distance at this event. I think he does it again. As for the women's side, I have to pick Aryna Sabalenka. I think after not winning it last year, she'll be hungry to get back on top. The fact that she'll have that as extra motivation will make her even tougher to beat.  

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Hopefully Zheng Qinwen can return soon after Australian Open withdrawal

 

                                              Credit: Julian Finney/Getty Images

A disappointing piece of news that hit before the Australian Open began was world No. 24 Zheng Qinwen withdrawing from the Australian Open due injury. She's been battling an elbow injury, which also kept her out of the US Open. She was hoping to return to grand slam tennis at the Australian Open, where she reached the final in 2024. Instead, she's going to have to delay her return for at least a little while longer. 

Given the fact that she's had some success at the Australian Open, she was really eager to see if she could make some noise Down Under in 2026. It's obviously a bummer for her to have to miss the tournament and delay her return to grand slam action even further. 

However, she's only 23 years old and has plenty of years left to play at a high level. She needs to make sure she doesn't do anything that risks further damage or prevents her from having success for the duration of the year. You'd hate to return early from injury only for that to lead to even more setbacks. I'm sure that was a big part of the calculation. 

Looking ahead, the goal for Zheng has to be getting as rested and healthy as possible so that she can build some good momentum heading into the French Open. She reached the quarterfinals last year and should be feeling confident in her ability to make some noise in Paris. It's just matter of healing up, shaking off the rust, and being confident when she does return to the court. I wish her all the best and hope she's able to still put together a strong 2026 season despite this early setback.  

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Alexander Bublik cracks Top 10 in the world after Hong Kong title

 

                                             (Credit: hkmenstennisopen.com) 

Alexander Bublik won the singles title at the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open (中銀香港網球公開賽), defeating Lorenzo Musetti in the final 7-6, 6-3. Bublik was the number two seed in the tournament while Musetti was the top seed. As a result of winning the title, Bublik is now ranked No. 10 in the world while Musetti is now ranked No. 5. So it was a good week for both guys in terms of elevating their ranking. 

To touch quickly on Musetti, he's still in search of his third career title on tour. It would have been huge for him to win this tournament given his struggles to win tournaments. That said, he has to be happy to leave Hong Kong with a top five ranking in the world. 

As for Bublik, this title gives him some real momentum entering the Australian Open. It's the ninth title of his career and by getting a top ten ranking in the world, he has to be feeling good. He only dropped one set the entire tournament in his semifinal win over Marcos Giron (3-6, 6-4, 6-2). It was pretty smooth sailing for him. The combination of winning and winning handily is what really gives him momentum.  

Looking ahead to the Australian Open, Bublik has never gotten past the 2nd round. Given that, it really is huge for him to get a title to give him some extra juice. When you are a top ten guy in the world, you are expected to at least make the 4th round at a grand slam and threaten to make the quarterfinals. If Bublik is able to have such a breakthrough this year, I think we'll be able to look back at his time in Hong Kong as the catalyst. 

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Coleman Wong makes first ATP quarterfinal in Hong Kong

 

                                             (Credit: hkmenstennisopen.com)

In this year's Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open (中銀香港網球公開賽), Hong Kong native Coleman Wong Chak-lam reached the first ATP quarterfinal of his pro career. Wong was given a wild card into the tournament and made good use of it, defeating Mariano Navone in the Round of 28 6-3, 7-5 and world No. 41 Gabriel Diallo in the Round of 16 1-6, 7-5, 7-5 to reach the quarterfinals. Diallo was the sixth seed in the tournament and also is a good friend/doubles partner of Wong. In the quarterfinals, Wong lost to the top seed Lorenzo Musetti 4-6, 4-6. Musetti would reach the final before losing to Alexander Bublik, the number two seed, 6-7, 3-6. 

Wong has to be feeling really good about his performance. He put on a good show for the Hong Kong tennis fans and was able to pull off a legit upset in the Round of 16 to reach the quarterfinals. When you are the hometown favorite, you want to at least make a bit of noise and Wong did just that. In the process, he also achieved a career milestone by reaching his first career ATP quarterfinal. 

Looking ahead, it'll be fun to see how the rest of the season goes for Wong and whether or not he can make a run in the qualifiers at the Australian Open. If he is able to breakthrough into the main draw, all of Hong Kong will certainly be cheering him on. 

 Save Cantonese: Cantonese is the lingua franca of Hong Kong and is incredibly important to the identity of the city as well as the Guangdong Province of China. Cantonese gets its name from being the lingua franca of Guangdong, previously anglicized as Canton. Cantonese culture is famous for giving us cuisine like Dim Sum, music like Cantonese Opera and Cantopop, and a hard working spirit and energy that has become the backbone of Chinatowns around the world. 

With Mandarin becoming the dominant spoken form of the Chinese language, Cantonese and other varieties of spoken Chinese are in danger of fading away. Each of these varieties of Chinese have their own unique cultures that deserve to be preserved and carried on into future generations. Save Cantonese is an organization that is dedicated to preserving and protecting both the Cantonese language and culture. Their website is SaveCantonese.org. 

 Their mission statement is below: 

Save Cantonese is an international movement that sustains and celebrates Cantonese language and culture. Through grassroots advocacy, we protect and promote local language programs, while strengthening connections across the global Cantonese diaspora. We ensure that present and future generations benefit from a vibrant, thriving Cantonese-speaking and learning community.
 
Save Cantonese 係一項國際性嘅運動，旨在傳承同頌揚粵語同廣東文化。我哋透過基層宣傳，保護同宣傳本地語言活動，同時加強同散居全球嘅粵語僑民聯繫。我哋確保從今以後每一代都能受惠於充滿活力、蓬勃發展嘅粵語同學習社區。 

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Five things to look for at the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open

                                             Credit: South China Morning Post

This weekend the Bank of China Hong Kong Open (中銀香港網球公開賽) will get under way. The tournament will run from January 4th to January 11th. To check out the tournament's official website to see the draws and more information, click here. What I want to do in this blog post is provide my list of five things to look for in the tournament and also share information about Save Cantonese, an organization dedicated to the preservation of the Cantonese language and culture. Ok, let's get after it! 

#1. Will Lorenzo Musetti go the distance as the top seed? Lorenzo Musetti comes in as the top seed in the tournament, ranked No. 8 in the world. He won his two career ATP titles in 2022, so it's been a while since he's lifted a trophy. I'm sure he's hoping to use the Hong Kong Open as a chance to get a third career title and build some good momentum ahead of the Australian Open. It'll be interesting to see if he can handle the pressure of being the top seed. 

#2. Can Marin Cilic make a run? Marin Cilic is the only guy in the draw who has won a grand slam singles title (2014 US Open). That was a while ago and after not playing in a grand slam in 2023 and only one grand slam in 2024 (1st round Australian Open), Cilic made a comeback of sorts by playing in all four grand slams in 2025, reaching the 4th round at Wimbledon. Cilic is currently ranked No. 73 in the world and eager to make some noise at the Australian Open. It would be cool if he made a deep run in Hong Kong. That would certainly grab a lot of headlines. 

#3. Will Alexander Bublik win a 9th career title? World No. 11 Alexander Bublik is the number two seed in the tournament and is gunning for his 9th career title. Bublik is a guy who could really benefit from winning this tournament given his struggles at the Australian Open (he's never gotten past the 2nd round). If he is able to go all the way, I'll be curious to see if he can follow that up with a breakthrough run in Melbourne. 

#4. Will Andrey Rublev's experience make the difference? World No. 16 Andrey Rublev comes in having won 17 career titles as the number three seed in the tournament. Given he's won more titles than Musetti and Bublik combined, Rublev is definitely the favorite to win this tournament. He is much more comfortable winning when he's in the final of a tournament. It'll be fun to see if he can pick up an 18th career title in Hong Kong. 

#5. Can Hong Kong's Coleman Wong make some noise? The lone Hong Kong native in the tournament is Coleman Wong. At just 21 years of age, he is coming off a season in which he reached the 3rd round at the US Open. Wong became the first Hong Kong man to reach the 3rd round at a grand slam in the Open Era and the first Hong Kong player to do it since Paulette Moreno at the 1988 Australian Open. Wong is ranked No. 150 in the world, but he's number one in the hearts of all the Hong Kong tennis fans. It would be awesome if he made some noise and threatened to go the distance. 

Save Cantonese: Cantonese is the lingua franca of Hong Kong and is incredibly important to the identity of the city as well as the Guangdong Province of China. Cantonese gets its name from being the lingua franca of Guangdong, previously anglicized as Canton. Cantonese culture is famous for giving us cuisine like Dim Sum, music like Cantonese Opera and Cantopop, and a hard working spirit and energy that has become the backbone of Chinatowns around the world. 

With Mandarin becoming the dominant spoken form of the Chinese language, Cantonese and other varieties of spoken Chinese are in danger of fading away. Each of these varieties of Chinese have their own unique cultures that deserve to be preserved and carried on into future generations. Save Cantonese is an organization that is dedicated to preserving and protecting both the Cantonese language and culture. Their website is SaveCantonese.org. 

 Their mission statement is below: 

Save Cantonese is an international movement that sustains and celebrates Cantonese language and culture. Through grassroots advocacy, we protect and promote local language programs, while strengthening connections across the global Cantonese diaspora. We ensure that present and future generations benefit from a vibrant, thriving Cantonese-speaking and learning community.
 
Save Cantonese 係一項國際性嘅運動，旨在傳承同頌揚粵語同廣東文化。我哋透過基層宣傳，保護同宣傳本地語言活動，同時加強同散居全球嘅粵語僑民聯繫。我哋確保從今以後每一代都能受惠於充滿活力、蓬勃發展嘅粵語同學習社區。 

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Jannik Sinner defeats Carlos Alcaraz to win 2025 ATP Tour Finals

 

                                             (Credit: IMAGO/La Presse) 

The 2025 ATP Finals at Inalpi Arena in Turin, Italy went as one would expect: No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz vs. No. 2 Jannik Sinner in the final. The two of them are clearly the top two players in the world and so it was only fitting that in the ATP Finals, the two of them would meet to determine the crown. This time, Sinner got the better of Alcaraz, defeating him 7-6, 7-5. 

The biggest difference was in their service aggression. Alcaraz made 68% of his first serves while Sinner made 55%. Alcaraz had zero double faults while Sinner had five. However, Sinner had eight aces while Alcaraz had five. Sinner also won 84% of his first serves while Alcaraz won 73%. Sinner won 63% of his second serves while Alcaraz won 57%. In the end, Sinner taking more chances on his serve seems to have made the difference. 

Another factor that also helped I'm sure was Sinner having home court advantage as an Italian. Playing in front of the home crowd no doubt was a benefit to him. Especially in such a close match. In truth, this is a match that could have gone either way and so little differences like that can make a huge difference. 

Of course, as you can tell by the photo, both guys were all smiles after the event was over. Even though he lost, Alcaraz finishes the year ranked No. 1 with his 12,050 points. Sinner finishes the year ranked No. 2 with his 11,500 points. Sinner wins the ATP Finals, but Alcaraz finishes the year ranked No. 1. In a way, it was kind of a win-win for both guys. 

To reflect on the year the two of them had, Alcaraz won the French Open and US Open while Sinner won the Australian Open and Wimbledon. They each won two grand slams and collectively dominated the ATP Tour. When the two of them get on the court together, while you may not know who is going to win, you know you're in for some amazing tennis. 

Looking ahead to the 2026 season, it'll be interesting to see if the two of them once more collect all the grand slams or if anyone will be able to make a dent and take one away from them. At the moment, I don't see it happening. I think we're in for another year of Sinner and Alcaraz dominating the tour and given how fun they are to watch against each other, that's fine by me. 

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